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Premier League Team of the Week - Bruno Fernandes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Trent Alexander-Arnold

Sports Mole selects its Premier League team of the week for gameweek 27, including Bruno Fernandes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool's relentless surge to a first league title in 30 years continued with a record-equalling triumph over struggling West Ham United on Monday night as Jurgen Klopp's side moved to within 12 points of being crowned champions at Anfield.

An 18th consecutive top-flight win and 21st in a row at home was more difficult than many might have expected, but their 3-2 victory restored a 22-point lead at the top with 11 games remaining.

Manchester City had earlier closed that gap to 19 with a 1-0 win over Leicester City which strengthened their grip on second place, while Chelsea picked up a much-needed win over Tottenham Hotspur to raise hopes of a top-four finish.

Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal also won to aid their own European bids, and Sheffield United remain in the mix as well despite dropping points at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Aston Villa and Bournemouth remain just outside the relegation zone after suffering defeats to Southampton and Burnley respectively, with the latter ending the week in the top half of the table.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League team of the week for gameweek 27.



PL TOTW GW27

Man City's struggles from the penalty spot have been well documented, but the fact that they have now missed four in a row should not detract from Kasper Schmeichel's save to deny Sergio Aguero. The Dane has now surpassed his legendary father Peter Schmeichel in the Premier League penalty-saving stakes, and that was one of six stops as Leicester kept City at bay until the final 10 minutes.

Man United produced arguably the most complete team performance of the weekend, and while others further up the field stole the headlines, it was Harry Maguire who provided the solid base for them to build on. In addition to a clean sheet and a game-high 11 aerial duels won, the world's most expensive defender also completed more passes than anyone else on the pitch.

There was also an impressive centre-back display from Issa Diop at Anfield, despite West Ham conceding three goals. Lukasz Fabianski's howlers undid Diop's good work, which also included a goal at the other end to level things up at 1-1.

The standout performance from that match came from Trent Alexander-Arnold, though, as the in-form full-back produced another two assists to equal his own record for a defender of 12 in a single Premier League season. A third was only denied by VAR late on, but by that stage Alexander-Arnold had already done enough to inspire Liverpool's comeback.

The Englishman's attacking contribution was arguably matched by Marcos Alonso on the opposite flank, with the Spaniard scoring one stunner and coming close to a hat-trick of worldies when he struck the woodwork and sent another fine volley narrowly over. The all-round display was enough to pip Patrick van Aanholt to a place in this week's XI.

It is an all-Portuguese pairing in central midfield, including Man United's latest favourite Bruno Fernandes, who continues to make his mark in the Premier League. The playmaker registered a goal and assist on his way to a third man-of-the-match display from three starts in English football.

The attacking talent in front of him means that he would be restricted to a slightly more defensive role than he is used to, but the presence of Ruben Neves, who helped to run the show for Wolves against Norwich City, alongside him would help provide that all-important balance.

Neves is one of two Wolves players in this week's team, with Diogo Jota joining him as one of the first names on the team sheet courtesy of his brace against the Canaries, following on from his midweek hat-trick. It was so nearly back-to-back trebles for the striker, but his strike which came off the woodwork did allow Raul Jimenez to tap in a third goal for Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

There was huge competition for places up front in this week's XI, with Mohamed Salah, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, Gabriel Jesus, Matej Vydra, Sadio Mane, Dwight McNeil, Moussa Djenepo, Andre Ayew and Stuart Armstrong all in contention in the forward areas.

Olivier Giroud is the man who gets the nod to join Jota in leading the line, though, having marked a rare Chelsea start with the opener against Spurs. Having been so close to leaving the club in January, the Frenchman has now directly contributed to 14 goals in his last 14 starts for the Blues.

Jesus may have got the winner for Man City at Leicester, but it was the former Foxes favourite Riyad Mahrez who provided the telling moment of quality when he drove forward before slipping the Brazilian in.

On the opposite flank, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's brace made him a shoo-in for the team as he continued his remarkable scoring record on Sundays, boosting his chances of winning the Golden Boot in addition to sealing a crucial win for Arsenal's European hopes.

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Kevin De Bruyne celebrates scoring for Man City on February 19, 2020
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rhs 2.0
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool31282170214986
2Manchester CityMan City30203776314563
3Leicester CityLeicester31167859293055
4Chelsea30156953401351
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd311310848311749
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves311213644341049
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs31129105041945
8Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd31111193031-144
9Crystal Palace31119112836-842
10Everton31118123846-841
11Arsenal3091384141040
12Burnley30116133445-1139
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle31109122942-1339
14Southampton30114153852-1437
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton31712123441-733
16Watford30610142845-1728
17West Ham UnitedWest Ham3176183554-1927
18Bournemouth3176182950-2127
19Aston Villa3176183659-2327
20Norwich CityNorwich3156202556-3121

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